About the Book

“Relish the day. If you’re not in awe, you’re just not paying attention.”

She hadn’t even been in the crowded pound a week, but she’d already developed a nickname, “Knucklehead.” As a puppy she destroyed property and precious clothes; as an adult she injured her owner, ruined romances… and changed the world-views of those around her.

Have you ever watched an animal and wondered how it thinks, how it sees the world, how it views you? And have you ever wondered what wisdom you might learn if you could see things as that animal does?
This unique book is many things: an amusing and moving memoir about a memorable dog, a poetic ode to a human-animal connection, and a serious philosophical, psychological, and spiritual inquiry into the lessons a man gleaned from the simple-minded brilliance of a teacher, a lover, a liver of life to the fullest… a Knucklehead.

There has never before been a book like The Teachings of Shirelle. Take a walk with this pooch, and you might never look at life, love, or yourself the same again.

“As a life-long cat lover, I opened Douglas Green’s memoir/dog bio The Teachings of Shirelle with a bit of trepidation. But Green had me at the Introduction. I couldn’t stop reading; I didn’t want the book to end. When it did, I found myself reading the cover and copyright information, just to make the experience of this beautiful book last longer. It’s literate. Moving. Honest. Compelling. Wonderful photos. And now I love both the “divine knucklehead” by the name of Shirelle – AND cats.”

– Sylvia Cary, author It Must Be Five O’Clock Somewhere

About Doug

Douglas Green is a psychotherapist in private practice in Los Angeles,
helping kids and teens build lives they can be proud of. But the
greatest therapist he ever knew, who influenced his practice more than
any famous genius, was a goofy dog with a bad habit of walking in front
of moving cars.

Before this, Green lived in Kansas City, Connecticut,
and Australia. For over twenty years, he worked in the entertainment
world, as a writer, director, producer, editor, actor, assistant
director, even truck driver. Plays he directed have won multiple awards,
and his feature The Hiding Place has been shown around the world.

He also created, writes, and manages the website www.AskShirelle.com,
which gives advice – not from his viewpoint, but from that of a hyperactive, over-eager mutt.